Female Veterans Transformation Programme: May Newsletter

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Welcome to our May newsletter! We don’t know where the time has gone with all the events we’ve been fortunate enough to attend and the ongoing work on our Toolkit. Whether you're a female veteran, service provider or employer, please get in touch if there is anything we can do to involve you.

An Update from the Programme

In early April, the Female Veterans Transformation Programme (FVTP) brought together 60 experts from over 40 organisations to co-design a pioneering new toolkit, generously hosted and supported by the Royal British Legion.

Funded by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust and NHS England, this three-year programme has already reviewed more than 60 research papers and engaged with around 800 female veterans and over 40 service providers to understand "What Good Looks Like" in supporting female veterans.

Now entering its next phase, the team is working towards launching the toolkit in November 2025. Experts from across the charity, statutory, and commercial sectors - many of whom are veterans themselves - contributed their insights, helping to enrich and shape the toolkit's core themes.

The day showcased the power of collaboration and diverse perspectives, highlighting how collective action can drive meaningful, lasting change. The FVTP team left not only with invaluable contributions to develop into practical tools, but with a shared sense of purpose and the belief that the toolkit’s impact will extend far beyond the life of the programme.

It’s been a busy couple of months with attendance at a multitude of events on top of our collaborative workshop. Between Liza and Stacey we have attended over 20 events, many of which we presented at, including Cobseo’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Symposium, Irwin Mitchell’s International Women’s Day Event on HMS Belfast, a Royal British Legion and Ministry of Defence Insight Day at the National Memorial Arboretum (image below from the Women’s Royal Army Corps memorial), and the Centre for Military Women’s Research Conference. This resulted in increased engagement for the FVTP and our mission of building a sustainable toolkit that will continue to make an impact long after the project ends.

Ali Brown, Vice President of the Women’s Royal Army Corps Association and Chair of the Cobseo Female Veterans Cluster, also presented at Forces in Mind Trust / Kings Centre for Military Health Research event launching their SUSTAIN Report about barriers female veterans face when transitioning from the armed forces to civilian life. A copy of the report is available here: https://kcmhr.org/new-report-explores-the-facilitators-and-barriers-to-servicewomen-successfully-transitioning-out-of-the-armed-forces/

We Need YOU!

With additional funding procured from the Office for Veterans Affairs and Armed Forces Covenant Trust Fund, this means we can now enhance our awareness campaign around the launch of our toolkit.

Our critical friends and social media polls indicated that photographs of real female veterans would be best used for this.

That’s where you come in!

We want Female Veterans from the breadth of the UK to be involved in this photoshoot, regardless of age, rank, time served, ethnicity, religion, disability, socioeconomic background, gender identity, sexual orientation or any other characteristic. The more diverse the better!

To register your interest, please complete this form: https://lnkd.in/ex4fUg7w

For this to gain maximum reach, why don’t you share this newsletter with some amazing female veterans you know.

Spotlight on UK Afghanistan Veterans Community

The UK Afghanistan Veterans Community (UKAVC) was co-founded by Reservist Veteran Jonny Ball and Lt Col Matt Mallet, Royal Signals. Although it doesn’t officially launch until the Summer, last year the UKAVC attended the National Memorial Arboretum for the 10th anniversary of Combat Operations ending in Afghanistan and provided a 50-strong marching contingent at the Cenotaph for Remembrance Sunday. The contingent, 25% of which were female veterans, wore shemaghs as a symbol of unity for the diverse group who ranged from their early 20s to a Chelsea Pensioner who had served as a Reservist on Operation Herrick a little over a decade ago.

There are 7 Trustees of the charity, 4 of whom are women and two of those being veterans of Afghanistan themselves, former Army Chaplain, Rev Clair Callanan and Ret’d Group Captain Teresa Griffiths of the Princess Mary’s Royal Air Force Nursing Service.

Our Comms & Engagement Officer, Stacey, who marched at the Cenotaph with UKAVC says:

‘The UKAVC stands out from other associations and veteran community groups because most of its members are of working age. Most members served post-2000—after the ban on LGBT+ service was lifted and well after policies that forced women out for starting families were scrapped, and all have the shared experience of deployment in Afghanistan.
In some veteran groups, I’m often the youngest person by decades, usually one of few women in the room and often the only member of the LGBT+ community. That can make it hard to find common ground, and it can also bring a certain anxiety—worrying about whether I’ll be fully accepted or have to brace myself for outdated attitudes.
With the UKAVC, I don’t feel like I have to explain myself. I just belong.’

UKAVC are on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, or you can find out more about them here: https://www.ukafghanveteranscommunity.org/

Female Veteran Author Spotlight: Liz McConaghy

‘Chinook Crew Chick’ Liz McConaghy's remarkable journey encompasses a distinguished 17-year tenure as the longest-serving female crewmember on the Royal Air Force Chinook Fleet, with multiple tours of Iraq and Afghanistan under her belt. Her book candidly and humorously recounts her experiences - the best and worst of times - illustrating how these experiences have transformed and moulded her into the person she is today; resilient, courageous, and a trailblazer.

An Afghanistan Veteran, Liz is a member of the UKAVC and marched at the cenotaph last year.

Liz is also a fabulous motivational speaker, with her next event being at the Union Jack Club on 22nd May (members can book via the UJC website).

You find out more about the Chinny Chick here: https://www.chinookcrewchick.co.uk/

Female Veterans in Business

Lisa Dalgleish, Army Veteran and Owner of Mother of Merch

Lisa Dalgleish makes merch as sexy as your business! She served in the Royal Military Police and reached the rank of Sergeant before life took her elsewhere. Lisa’s a business owner, mum, wife, inclusion advocate and many other things. Lisa is a veteran.

“Hello everyone!
I’m Lisa (she/her) and after 15 years in the Army, I decided that it was time to venture out on my own! Back in 2017 in Germany when I was on maternity leave, I started crafting because I needed something to keep me busy when I wasn’t at work – a new born baby apparently wasn’t enough!
I launched my side hobby business whilst still serving, and after a few years of trying to juggle everything, I took the plunge in 2024 to go full time with a rebranded version of the business – Mother of Merch.
I now get to work with incredible business owners, attend events all over the UK, but most importantly, I get to do the school runs and attend all the plays and sports days with my small human (and I also get to have my hair any colour!).”

Check out Mother of Merch here: https://motherofmerch.co.uk/

Female Veterans in History: Warrior Women

Illustration by TVW Design.

The Royal Armouries have developed 5 podcast episodes on 5 ‘Warrior Women’. Even if you don’t have time to sit and listen, or aren’t a fan of podcasts, you can read a precis of the women, including Vera Leigh who worked with the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in World War 2.

With VE Day 80 on the horizon, what better time to reflect and remember female veterans from the World Wars (and before).

Access the write ups and podcast here: https://royalarmouries.org/objects-and-stories/stories/warrior-women

Get Involved in Research

Attending the CMWR Conference was a reminder that there isn’t much available in terms of female veteran research but it’s beginning to be explored more. Want to be part of that change? Check out the opportunities available on our website, with the latest two we have become aware of appearing below.